Timer



April 7, 1925.

A. W. KAUFMAN TIMER Filed June 17, 1922 0M Ha al/1 fi alf mf Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES ADAM W. KAUFMAN, 0F MILWAUKEE, \VISCONSIN.

TIMER.

Application filed June 17,

To all whom it may concern} Be it known that I, ADAM 1V. KAUFMAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Timers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention pertains to ignition timers for internal combustion engines.

The primary objectof the invention resides in the reduction of wear upon the contact members by the provision of a rotor, yieldable longitudinally of the timer shaft, whereby longitudinal movement of the shaft is compensated for and a' uniform minimum frictional engagement, between the rotor and contacts is maintained at all times.

A more specific object resides in the provision of a sleeve adapted to be attached to a conventional type of timer shaft without necessitating alterations in the shaft or pres ent mode of attaching the rotor; and in the arrangement of assembling the rotor on the sleeve, whereby an inexpensive and compact structure of the above character is obtained.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, which will. be more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in what is herein shown and described and more particularly pointed out and defined by the appended claims, it being understood that various modifications of the structural details are within the scope of the invention.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a timer constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 3, and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view thru the rotor, as indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates a rotary timer shaft provided with a reduced end 2, which forms the shoulder 3. Fitted over the reduced portion is a sleeve 1, reduced at one end to provide a shoulder 5, the reduced end of the sleeve being provided on opposite sides with a pair of bayonet grooves 6. A rotor 7, having an annular flange 7 and an inturned end portion 8 is Slidably mounted on the sleeve 1922. Serial no. 568,980.

1, and is held against rotary movement with relation to the sleeve by the nibs 9, projecting from the inturned end 8 into the bayonet grooves 6.

Surrounding the sleeve and disposed between the shoulder 5 and the inturned end 8, is a coil spring 10, adapted to normally urge the rotor in one direction. Therotor 7 is provided with an annular insulating ring 11, of fibre or other suitable material, in which is flushly mounted a contact plate 12, secured to the annular flange 7 by a screw 12. A pin 13, projecting thru the slot 13 formed in one end of the sleeve .h, serves to hold the same against rotation on the shaft, and aretaining washer 14E, provided with an inturned flange engages the pin to retain the same, and binds the sleeve against the shoulder 3 by means of the nut 15 threaded on the end of the timershaft. From the foregoing, it will be observed, that for the purpose of removing the rotor to renew the same or any of its parts, the operation is comparatively simple, merely requiring the removal of the nut and washer, which allows the rotor to be withdrawn from the bayonet grooves 6. In the normal operation ofthe timer, the rotor is so positioned on the sleeve that the nibs 9 engage the longitudinal stretches of the bayonet grooves. Hence the rotor is free to move longitudinally on the sleeve, and at thesai'ne time is held against rotary movement with relation thereto.

.A housing 16 is arranged concentrically about the shaft and it is adapted to be oscillated upon its bearing (not shown), whereby the spark may be advanced or retarded. In the present form of housing illustrated in connection with the invention, the same is provided with a plurality of binding posts 17, which have secured to their ends, interiorly of the housing, the closely coiled sections of spring 18, which have fitted thereon metallic heads 19 that form contact brushes, adapted to be engaged by the fibre ring 11 and the contact plate 12 carried thereby. The guides 20 secured to the housing by the binding posts 17 are provided with ears adapted to straddlethe springs 18, to prevent the contacts from moving in a plane transverse to the axis of the timer shaft.

ld hile I have shown and described a specific form of contact member which is yieldable in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the timer shaft, it will be understood that I do not claim the specific structure as part of the present invention, the same being disclosed in my previous applica tion for patent filed July 26, 1921, Serial No. 407,658.

It will be also understood that While I prefer to employ a yicldable contact brush in connection with the present invention, I may, in some instances, substitute a rigid brush Without departing therefron'i.

It is a well known fact that instandard types of internal combustion engines, there is a great variation inthe position of the timer shaft witl'i relation to the housing or casing, and although the relative position of the two may be properly adjusted initially, the resultant wear upon the parts causes the members to shift, which results in either too slight a contact between the rotor and brushes or too great a contact causing undue wear uponboth the brushes and rotor.

The present invention overcomes the foregoing disadvantages by mounting the rotor slidably longitudinally of the timer shaft and providing a spring to hold the rotor into engagen'ient with the brushes. Thus as any shift or end play takes place between the timer shaft and housing carrying the contacts, the same will be compensated for by means of the yieldahle connection between the rotor andtimer shaft, thus maintaining a predetermined contact at all times which is regulated by a predetermined tension of the spring 10, it being appreciated that the slight retractionor expansion of the spring resulting from longitudinal shifting of the timer shaft will not materially effect the frictional engagement between the rotor and brushes.

I claim:

1. A timer comprising a housing, a plurality of contact members carried by the housing, a timer shaft positioned centrally of the housing, a rotor comprising an annular fibre ring having a flush contact plate, said rotor being movable longitudinally on the shaft, and means for yield-ably holding the rotor into'engagement with the contact members.

2, A timer comprising a housing, a timer shaft positioned centrally of the housing, a plurality of contact members carried by the housing, said members being yield'able in a plane parallel'to the axis of the timer'shaft, a rotor comprising an annular fibre ring having a flush contact plate secured thereto, said rotor being movable longitudinally on the shaft, and means for yieldably holding the rotor. into engagement Withthe Contact members.

3. A timer comprising a housing, a plu rality of contact members carried by the housing, a timer shaft positioned centrally of the housing, a sleeve secured on the timer shaft and provided with a bayonet groove, a rotor slidably mounted on said sleeve and provided with a nib-engaging said bayonet groove, and yieldable means for holding the rotor into engagement with the contact members.

4;. A timer comprising a housing, a plurality of contact n'u-imbers carried by the housing, a timer of the housing, a sleeve secured on the timer shaft and provided with a bayonetgroove, a rotor 'slidably mounted on said sleeve, a nib carried by the rotor'for engaging said bayonet groove, an annular fibre ring carried by the rotor, a contact plate mounted in said fibre ring, and a spring disposed between the sleeve and rotor for holding the latter into engagement with the contact members.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Mih aukee and State of lVisconsin.

ADAM IV. KAUFMAN.

shaft positioned centrally 

